Writing has always been a passion of mine, but for years on end, I kept telling myself that I didn’t have anything to write about, that I didn’t have a story-line that anyone would find interesting, let alone pay to read.  So, like everything else that we doubt in our lives, I put my dreams of being published on the shelf, along with every other ideal I had ever held regarding my works of fiction.  I kept telling myself that I would eventually write something worth reading, something worth sharing with the world.  But the power of self-doubt was stronger then I could overcome…until one day when I finally  silenced the little voice in my head and let the voice in my heart be heard.  I wanted to touch people on a personal level, I wanted to transport people from their everyday existence into a world of fiction – filled with relatable characters and emotional plot lines. I was finally going to achieve a dream that had been a part of me since I was in high school.

But, the dream was not an easy one to achieve.  For a year I tried to find an agent who felt as though what I had written had the potential to be published.  Rejection email after rejection email, I once again questioned why I thought I deserved to be published.  The self doubt crept back in, and once again, I questioned my talent.  What made me any different from the millions of others who had written a book?  What made my stories any different from the others who had felt as though their works of fiction were worthy of being read?  But this time, I didn’t give up, I didn’t let the rejections squash my belief in myself.  This time, I took matters in my own hands and decided to publish my books myself.  Why couldn’t I utilize a platform such as Amazon to make my books available to the masses?  Why couldn’t I take it upon myself to make my own dream come true?

I think there are too many times in our lives where we let our self-doubt kill our ability to be successful.  Too many times we let the voices of those around us make us feel small and incapable of accomplishing what we want.  We then begin to believe that we aren’t good enough, aren’t talented enough to be what we want or to do what we want.  It becomes a vicious cycle and we drown in the fear that surrounds us.  But, when we finally take hold of ourselves, take hold of who we are and what we are capable of, then we can achieve our dreams, can achieve what we set our sights on.  When we let our light shine bright we become a blinding force to be reckoned with and we then find the strength to fight for who we are and what we want.  We must remember to believe in ourselves, to believe in what we want in life.  And we must blaze forward on our journey of self-discovery, powered by our desire to be successful, to be proud, to be true to ourselves.  When we learn to silence the doubt, when we learn to ignore the haters, then and only then can we become the person we want to be, do the things we want to do, succeed the way we want to succeed.  So, go after your dreams – don’t be the one who stands between you and your goals in life.  You’ll never forgive yourself if you do.